Shaft seal



July 5, 1949. o, LARsEN 2,475,550

SHAFT SEAL Filed April 24, 194'; 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 0. LARSEN SHAFT SEAL July 5, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 24, 1947 INVENTOR.

Patented July 5, 19fl9 UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE SHAFT SEAL Olaf Larsen, Oak Park, 111., asai gun: to The Creamery Package Mfg. Company, Chicago. 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 24, 1941, Serial No. 743.559

3 claims; (01. ass-11.15)

The invention relates to fluid seals for rotary shafts, and particularly relates to the sanitary type of rotary seals in which the parts are quently to maintain them in sanitary condition.

It is essential that all shaft packing or sealing devices used in such apparatus and exposed to contact with the liquid may be readily disassembled for cleaning. It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved shaft seal structure inwhich all of its parts may be quickly and conveniently made completely accessible for thorough cleaning of all surfaces.

While, obviously, the invention may be adapted to other apparatus employing rotary shafts, it is herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings as adapted to a conventional vat having a rotary coil of pipe within the vat, the coil being connected to and supported upon a horizontal rotary hollow shaft which passes through opposite walls of the vat and is supported in bearings outwardly of the vat, the pipe coil and hollow shaft forming a. conduit subretainer. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the assembled shaft seal. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the seal with the parts disassembled.

Referring to the drawings, the numeal l indicates a portion of a side wall of a vat having a sheet metal innerlining 2. A hollow shaft 3 passes through an opening in the wall and lining and is outwardly supported in a bearing 4. The threaded inner end of the shaft is adapted to receive and support one end of a heat exchange coil, not shown. An annular bracket 5 is positioned within the wall opening and provided with an outer flange secured to the wall I and an inner flange abutting the lining 2. A flanged sleeve 6 is threaded into the inner flange of the bracket 5, effecting a liquid tight clamping of the lining 2 to the bracket 5. The sleeve 6 is concentric with and substantially spaced from the shaft 3 and is provided with an outer extension "I forming an annular sealing seat.

A rotary sealing unit A preferably comprises a seal ring 8, concentric with and spaced from the shaft I and operatively positioned in runnin abutment with the sleeve extension 1, thereby forming a contact seal against the passage of any liquid therebetween. A split packing ring 9, preferably of resilient material, is assembled about the shaft 3 and inserted within the seal ring 8, thereby supporting the seal ring 8 and provided with an annular bead l4 extending in- The acwardly along the shaft and opposite to the bead I l on the back ring l0.

The several rings 8, 9 and it of the sealing unit A are retained under axial pressure in the abovedescribed relative positions for operation by means of a retainer unit B removably inter-- posed between the back ring i0 and the collar I2 and comprising a pair of spaced U-shaped complementary plates l5 and i6 which are loosely positioned astride the shaft 3. The outer plate It normally abuts the collar l2 and is retained against lateral withdrawal from the shaft by engagement of an annular recess II, formed about the inner peripheral edge of the plate It, with the bead ll extending from the collar I2. The legs of the U-shaped plates i5 and I6 extend substantially beyond the cross diameter of the semi-circular portions of the inner peripheries of the plates, thus permitting the annular recess I! in the plate I 6 to be continued sufliciently beyond the cross diameter to form a locking construction (see Fig. 2) against lateral movement of the plate when engaged with the bead M. The inner plate I5 is provided with a similar recess l8 engaging with the same effect the bead II on the back ring Ill.

The opposed faces of the plates l5 and I6 are provided with registering pairsof pockets l9 within each pair of which is positioned a compression member 20, preferably a spring, the

compression members tending to resiliently spread the plates apart and axially expand the retainer unit B. The members 20 are stressed to maintainthe plates I5 and IS in normal expanded abutment with the back ring l and the collar 12, and to apply sufficient resilient pressure through the back ring II) to maintain the sealing functions of the packing ring 9 and the running seal ring 8. The plate I is provided with a pair of diametrically positioned lateral ears 2|, and the plate I6 is provided with similar opposed ears 22. A pair of thumb screws 23 are loosely mounted inthe cars 22 of plate is and extend into screw threaded engagement with the ears 2| of plate l5, thereby providing means for expanding or contracting the spaced inter-relation of the plates l5 and I6 against the interposed resilient members 20. The plates l5 and [6, the compression members 20 and the thumb screws 23 constitute the retainer'unit B.

tionary seat surrounding said shaft, a rotary sealing unit slidably mounted on said shaft and hav- -.partial annular recess adapted to receive a por- When disassembling the shaft seal, the thumb screws 23 are turned to draw together the plates l5 and i6 sufficiently to disengage the recesses l1 and I8 from the beads l4 and H, whereby the retainer unit B may be withdrawn laterally from the shaft as indicated in Fig. 4. The seal ring 8 then may be moved" axially away from the sealing seat I, and the rings 8, 9 and I0 similarly separated from each other by movement along the shaft into the space vacated by the withdrawn retainer unit. The split packing ring 9 then may be opened and removed from the shaft. Thus all surfaces of the shaft 3 and of the several parts of the shaft seal subject to contact with the liquid being processed in the vat are readily accessible for thorough cleaning and sterilization. When re-assembling the shaft seal, the rings 8, 9 and ID are replaced in position as first described, the retainer unit B is re-mounted on the shaft, and the thumb screws 23 are back turned to permit the compression members to expand the plates l5 and I6 sufficiently to reengage the recesses l1 and I 8 with the beads 1M and II and retain the several parts of the sealing unit A in operating relation.

I claim as my invention:

1. A seal for a rotary shaft comprising a stationary seat surrounding said shaft, a rotary sealing unit slidably mounted on said shaft and having contact with said seat, a collar fixed upon said shaft in spaced relation to said sealing unit, said sealing unit and said collar each having a fixed element extending into the space between them, and a U-shaped'retainer unit normally positioned astride of said shaft between said sealing unit and said'collar and having recesses therein in longitudinal register with said elements, said retainer unit being expansible 1ongitudinally of said shaft into abutment with said sealing unit and said collar and thereby engaging said elements in said recesses to secure said retainer unit in position upon said shaft, and said retainer unit being reversely contractible to disengage said elements from said recesses and permit lateral withdrawal of said retainer unit from said shaft.

2. A seal for a rotary shaft comprising a station of the adjacent one of said heads when said plates are positioned on said shaft, said recesses being more than a semi-circle in length, and a plurality of compression members supported be tween said plates tending to separate and expand said plates along said shaft into resilient abutment with said sealing unit and said collar, said recesses and said beads being inter-engaged to lock said plates upon the shaft when said plates are in expanded relation, and said recesses and said beads being disengaged to permit free removal of said plates from said shaft when said plates are in contracted relation.

3. A seal for a rotary shaft comprising a sta-' annular bead extending into the space between them, a pair of spaced u-shaped retainer plates positioned astride of said shaft between said sealing unit and said collar and laterally removable from said shaft, each of said plates having a partial annular recess adapted to receive a portion of the adjacent one of said beads when said plates are positioned on said shaft, said recesses being more than a semi-circle in length, a plurality of compression members supported between said plates tending to separate and expand said plates along said shaft into resilient abutment with said sealing unit and said collar and into lateral looking engagement between said recesses and said beads, and means for contracting said plates to disengage said recesses from said beads and pernl litfiliateral withdrawal of said plates from said s a i OLAF LARSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

